NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — Award-winning novelist Colum McCann has been assaulted in a Connecticut hotel and hospitalized with significant facial injuries.

Police said Wednesday the “Let the Great World Spin” author was beaten Saturday night in New Haven. They say witness accounts suggest he may have tried to help a woman in a dispute.

Police say the woman’s companion may be the assailant they’re seeking.

McCann’s wife, Allison Hawke, says he’s getting dental work and can’t comment.

Police say McCann gave information to detectives and they have significant leads they hope will soon lead to an arrest.

McCann is from New York City. He just released the story “Gone” through the online publisher and subscription service Byliner. It’s his first short story in a decade.

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